Contract and part-time employment help UK to record high, says ONS

Labour market statistics published today by the Office of National Statistics (ONS) show that the UK unemployment total fell by 50,000 between June and August to reach 2.258 million, helping the unemployment rate to drop to 7.9%. An Olympics bounce and a growth in part-time work may have been factors in the rise.

The employment total of 29.59 million was the highest since records began in 1971.

Self-employment increased, up by 35,000 to 4.2 million, while the statistics also showed a rise of 13,000 in the numbers on Government-supported training and employment programmes, bringing the total to 158,000.

However, the figures showed 1.4 million people in part-time jobs because they could not find full-time work…..